Push and shove
by Hobbitpal
Summary: What happens when the lab gets together to get Mac and Stella together? Well, they set up a blind date...
1. Chapter 1

Stella Bonasera sat at her desk, idly looking out of the window, thinking, just thinking. She did that a lot whenever she didn't have a case and when paperwork got boring, she'd just sit back in her chair, look out over the New York skyline and think.

"Oh, sorry Stella, didn't see you there. You haven't seen Lindsey about have you?"

She looked around, startled at the sound of Flack's voice and was even more startled by the bunch of flowers he had in his hand. She raised an eyebrow at him, her eyes telling him that she wanted an explanation.

Flack smiled slightly, a little sheepish at being caught red handed trying to deliver flowers to his fiancée.

He sank into Lindsey's chair, putting the flowers on the desk in front of him and looked at Stella who still had her eyebrow raised at him.

"Should I even have to ask what you are doing up here with a bunch of flowers looking for Lindsey, or do you just want me to guess?" she said at last, breaking the silence that had fallen between them as Flack had tried to find the right words to say to her.

Finally, he seemed to have decided that there was no other way to tell her, except for the truthful reason why he was up in the crime labs with flowers looking for Lindsey.

He sighed and sat further back in the chair.

"Lindsey and I are together. We had been dating for a year and a half, she moved in with me about 8 months ago," he paused slightly, but Stella jumped in first.

"Don't tell me you cocked it up did you?" Flack laughed slightly, shacking his head.

"Nah, we got engaged 2 months ago, and to celebrate our two month anniversary of being engaged we were going to go to the Opera, our wacky next door neighbour won tickets from his work, but he hates the Opera, so he gave them to us, thinking we could use them, but I've just been told that I have to work tonight, so I can't go,"

"So you bought the flowers to say sorry?" Stella guessed, trying to keep her expression neutral, which was hard after just finding out that two people you thought you knew like the back of your hand had secretly been dating for about a year and a half and you had never even guessed.

In fact, she had tried to push Lindsey into going out with Danny, what a fool she must have looked.

Flack nodded, looking at the bouquet he'd bought from the small florist around the corner from the precinct. Simple daisies and bittersweet mixed in with other wild flowers. Lindsey loved wild flowers, said they always reminded her of home.

Stella smiled at him as she watched him look at the flowers.

"Well, I'm happy for you, a little shocked that you managed to keep that from us for so long, but I really am happy for you guys."

Flack grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling in the slowly dimming light coming through the large glass windows of the office.

"You think she'll forgive you?" she asked. Flack nodded.

"Yeah, I can look very remorseful when I need to." He said with a wink.

Then a thought flashed across his mind and the look in his eyes changed from playfulness to scheming and Stella didn't like the way those now dark blue eyes turned to her.

"Stel, would you mind if I asked you to take my place, you go to the Opera with her, keep her company?" Flack looked almost begging, the flowers held out in front of him like he was trying to talk to an ex-girlfriend he wanted back, but whom had no intention of seeing him.

Stella shock her head, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"No Flack. You remember the last time you asked me to keep one of your female friends company, I didn't know that you were planning on breaking up with her by not turning up and she spent the whole time crying on my shoulder."

Flack tried not to smirk at the memory of that. Yeah, it had been a cruel way of breaking up with the girl, but at least he hadn't been the one having to listen to her cry. Besides, Stella had come away unscathed, where as he would have ended up in a very bad situation.

"Stel, I'm not breaking up with her, so you don't have to worry about that, and I know you have a thing for Opera. Please Stel, this is the last favour I ask of you, other wise I have to ask Danny, and I really don't want him finding out about me and Lindsey and then asking him to sit through an Opera with her where she's in a stunning dress."

Stella looked into his blue eyes and let out a sigh of defeat. She had to admit that Flack did have a very good point. Danny would be hurt when he found out about Flack and Lindsey, plus Flack was making puppy eyes at her, which would guarantee that she would say yes.

"Alright Flack, I'll go with Lindsey."

Flack grinned and gently kissed her on the check before turning around, thinking about going to find Lindsey when he saw her stood in the doorway, leaning against the glass frame. She didn't look cross, but she had her arms folded across her chest.

"Sounds like you're trying to get out of our arrangement tonight." She said, stepping further into the room so that the glass door could swing closed behind her.

Flack shock his head, smiling at her.

"I'm not, I swear. My Caption has got me 'babysitting' one of the new cadets out of the academy, and I tried to get out of it, but he wouldn't listen, so I can't go, I'm so sorry." He held out the flowers, as though trying to say something by the gesture. Lindsey's face broke into a smile as she saw her favourite mixture of flowers and when she looked up at Flack, Stella saw pure love in the young woman's eyes, and pure love in his. Although it sounded very clichéd, you could tell that they were a perfect match.

"That's alright Don." She said quietly, taking the flowers from him. He grinned at her, and both women could see how hard he was fighting against the urge to stroke her check and kiss her.

"Do you want me to leave?" Stella asked, moving to get up from her desk.

Lindsey shock her head, turning to her.

"No, don't worry, he'll just have to keep it on ice until later." She said, winking at Flack, who grinned back, sitting on the edge of her desk. "So, you're coming to the Opera with me?" she asked as Stella sank back into her chair.

Stella nodded. She was starting to feel quite excited now. She hadn't been to the Opera in months. She just hadn't had the time, or the money, or a date to think about it. Ever since the thing with Frankie a few years ago, she hadn't had anyone to go with, or gotten the courage to ask anyone to go with her.

It would be nice to get out of the apartment for an evening, instead of just being sat on her couch watching stupid quiz shows on the telly.

Flack' pager went off, causing both women to look at him again. He smiled apologetically to them as he pulled his phone off his belt and read the message flashing across the screen.

He let out a sigh and clipped it back onto his belt.

"I have a call." He said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you tonight." He said, quickly kissing Lindsey on the top of her head. She nodded, smiling at him as he quickly hurried out of the office and towards the elevator down to the lower floors of the police building.

Lindsey turned her attention back to the office, a smile still tickling the corners of her mouth, her checks a little red, and her flowers still clenched in her hand.

Stella just grinned at her.

"I had no idea." She said at last, causing the younger CSI to look at her, a slight shrug touching her shoulders.

"We tried to hide it, I know Mac doesn't really like co-worker relationships, and well, we were going to tell you guys before the invitations came out, we just didn't really know how." She shrugged her shoulders a little, looking back at her bouquet of flowers.

"I'd better get these in water." She said, knowing that Stella was going to ask her everything about her relationship with Don, right from where they're first date was, to how he proposed, and whether he did it right.

Stella just smiled, she'd get the information from Lindsey later, ask her at the Opera, it would fill in the time during the interval and journey there and back.

Yeah, she was going to have a lot of fun getting every last bit of information out of Lindsey Monroe tonight, mark her words she would…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

CSI Detective Mac Taylor sat back in his seat slightly, enjoying the feeling of being in an Opera house again, being surrounded by all the talking people eagerly anticipating the start of the Opera, waiting for the house lights to dim and the music of the orchestra to start.

He had been to see many Operas in his time. His late wife, Claire, had loved them and so had dragged him to a number of them, and with each one he saw, he enjoyed them more and more. The whole thing of getting dressed up nicely and go out for a meal after the Opera, sitting in some small restaurant discussing the music and language of the Opera while enjoying a nice meal.

He always smiled at those memories on the outside, but on the inside, oh on the inside he was always reminded of what he had lost when that plane had crashed into the towers, knowing that he would never go to the Opera with her again, never have that nice little cozy meal after the performance where they would discusses what they liked and disliked.

It then struck him at how strange and awkward it felt, to be sat there watching and listening to something that had been so familiar to him 6 years ago. He had to get out, it didn't feel right to be sat there on his own with out her, or at least someone he knew.

Besides, he'd gotten the ticket from Lindsey after she'd given him a very touching story about how she was going to be having to do over time and so couldn't make it to the Opera with her boyfriend.

Mac hadn't even known that she had a boyfriend, but hadn't asked to many questions as Hammerback had come in at that point talking about their victim and also telling Mac to get out more, or he would set Stella on him to get him out of the lab.

The threat of Stella's wrath was enough to make Mac collect the ticket from Lindsey's office, just to stop Hammerback from talking about it all day.

He got to his feet, moving out of the box, but as he reached the door he came face to face with some one he recognized, and some one that took his breath away as he looked her up and down.

Stella Bonasera smiled at him, at the blush rising on his cheeks as he looked at her, taking in the long black dress she had chosen to wear that night.

She too was taking in the sight of Mac in a tux and bowtie, looking very much like James Bond than the Mac Taylor she saw at work.

For a few moments they just stood there, watching each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Stella decided to take the first step, she knew Mac was nervous, it was written all over his face, and from the way he fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket.

"I didn't expect to see you here." She said, smiling at him slightly, which made him blush even more.

He nodded, looking about the Opera house. People were still getting settled into their seats, but the performance was about to start any minute.

The feel into silence, more awkward this time, and Stella couldn't bring herself to sat anything.

She was going to kill Lindsey and Flack when she next saw them. The whole thing had been a set up, a blind date for her and Mac. She really was going to kill them, and the rest of the team; they'd most likely had a hand in it as well.

"You look nice by the way." She looked up at him, her eyes opening in surprise. Mac smiled at her, his eyes resting on her face, as though he was studying it, taking in all the little details, almost as if he was remembering it, storing it in the back of his mind.

"Thank you Mac." She said looking down at her clasped hands, suddenly aware that she was in a rather formal dress and that they were at the opera on a blind date.

Mac laughed slightly, as though realizing what was going on.

That seemed to clear the air slightly, and make them a little more relaxed.

The house lights went out and the first opening chord of the music started to play.

Slowly and quietly, they made their way to their seats, half way down the front row. They were side by side. _A blind date_ Mac thought as he settled into his seat again, glancing at Stella in the soft light coming from the stage lights.

He could see that she was nervous; he could read her like a book, or a map.

It wasn't that bad actually, the opera was 'Madame Butterfly' and Stella seemed to be enjoying it.

He had seen it once before, with Claire, about a year or so before she died. 'Madame Butterfly' had been one of her favourite operas of all time. Since her death, it had become one of his favourites and had various recordings of it back at his apartment. It was strange to be enjoying it with some one other than Claire, and all though it hurt him to realise that he was hurting Claire's feelings by seeing the opera with out her, but he had to be honest with himself and admit that he was enjoying himself, that he was enjoying himself at the opera with Stella.

And Claire was dead, she had been for 6 years and Mac knew that it was high time to move on, to let Claire rest in peace with out him worrying about her. He still loved her, he couldn't deny that, he never had done, and Stella knew that; Stella knew that as much as he cared for her, he still cared for Claire.

He looked back at her, side on her face half covered in shadow by the light, her eyes fixed on the stage below, watching with intent as the opera was acted and sung out.

Slowly, as if his body was taking control, his hand reached forward and gently touched hers, rubbing the back of it with small motions of his thumb.

Stella looked up at him, surprised and shocked, but she didn't pull away, instead, she smiled at him, a soft smile that told him that she was glad and understood what he was doing; and in a way, that made him glad as well.

From the back row of the box, 5 people were silently grinning and congratulating themselves on their work as Mac and Stella left the box hand in hand after the performance.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The lab was deadly quiet and almost empty when Mac and Stella arrived on the 35th floor of the Police Building. They had decided to arrive early as the only people around would be the cleaners and a few lab techs from the night shift who were packing up for the day, leaving the place to the hands of the day shift. No Lindsey or Flack to ask them about how the evening had gone.

Both Mac and Stella had told each other about how they had been conned into going to the Opera house last night and Mac's only comment on Lindsey and Flack had been 'About time someone got him settled down.' Which had made Stella laugh.

Mac stood in his glass office, watching the lab techs trudge past, their eyes clouded over with exhaustion. He had to admit that he was tired as well. He had not slept much last night, but it wasn't because he had been working, which was a first for him. No, he had been with Stella. They had gotten back from the Opera and dinner very late last night, so he had asked her to stay the night, to not leave him alone. After finding his feelings, he couldn't bear to be alone again, and she had agreed, curling up next to him in his bed, sleeping next to him.

For the few hours that they had slept, it had been the best either of them had had in a long time, a very long time.

He looked at her through the glass wall as she headed down to her office, a smile permanently fixed on her face. He too, was grinning from ear to ear and he couldn't stop it, he was that happy.

Glancing at his watch, he saw that they had at least 2 hours before shift started. The only reason they had arrived early was so Stella could get a few things from her office and locker. It saved her having to go home and then back to the crime labs.

Breakfast was in order. With that thought in mind, he went off in search of Stella wandering if she was hungry as he was…

The rest of the New York Day Shift sat in the small café that they normally frequented, about a minutes walk from the crime labs, talking about what they had seen last night.

All of them had been involved, in one way or another. Danny and Hawkes had organized getting the tickets, while Lindsey and Flack had arranged how to get Mac and Stella to the opera with out them thinking that it was a blind date.

They had to admit that last night had been a great success, especially since they had left hand in hand big grins across their faces as they left the Opera house.

Admittedly, Danny had fallen asleep during the last act, and started snoring, but apart from that, the rest of them had enjoyed the opera.

They knew that his café was the main place that Mac eat breakfast, and they knew that Mac would have arrived at the labs early thinking that Flack or Lindsey was there, ready to ask him about what had happened last night. Though they couldn't be certain if Stella had told Mac about the happy couple, they had a pretty safe bet going that she had. After all Stella was Stella and a woman who loved a little bit of office gossip.

So they sat in wait, watching for Mac to turn up, catch him off guard. If they were lucky, Stella would be with him, but they guessed that they wouldn't turn up at the same time to work, try to not make it look obvious that they had been on a blind date.

The door to the café opened behind them, causing them to look at each other, Flack and Lindsey staring at Danny and Hawkes who were keeping watch on who was coming into the café as they faced the door.

They shock their heads, relaxing slightly as an old woman shuffled past, smiling brightly at the young woman behind the counter.

"Where are they?" Danny muttered, glancing at his watch and trying to hold back a yawn. For some reason he was knackered. Sleeping at the Opera house had not done him any good in fact it had made him even worse, and being forced out of bed by Flack ringing at 5 in the morning had not helped. All he wanted to do was sleep for the whole day, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. So he settled for another cup of coffee. After all, the coffee here was far better than the stuff at the lab. It came in a proper cup as well.

Hawkes glanced at his watch as well, smiling slightly as Danny suppressed another yawn, which set Lindsey off as well.

Flack shock his head, glancing at her as she smiled apolitically at them, leaning against his shoulder, closing her eyes slightly. He just put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, allowing her to make herself comfortable next to him.

"Did some one not get enough sleep last night?" Hawkes asked, grinning as Lindsey stuck her tongue out at him, though she did smile, a small smile.

Danny shock his head, taking a sip of his coffee and glancing out of the window. That was when he spotted them; walking down the street, arm in arm, grins across their faces.

His head whipped around, his coffee cup hitting the table with a soft bag, which startled Lindsey out of her doze.

He nudged his head towards the window and they understood what he meant instantly.

They all turned to each other, trying to hide their faces as Mac and Stella walked into the small café.

Looking over the top of his newspaper, Flack saw them sit down at a small table in the corner. Both of them were grinning like fools, but they looked good together, and he had never seen Mac smile so much since Claire had died.

Last night really had done him some good.

After about 5 minutes a waitress came over to take their order, a big grin plastered over her face, and her voice far to energetic to be real for that hour of the morning, but she was pleasant enough and hurried back a few seconds later with their coffee.

Stella looked about the small café, taking in the rather British style to it, the oak tables and chairs, benches in the window. It was a strange décor, but pleasant enough.

Her eyes fell on a group sat in one of the window booths near the door.

There were 4 of them; all trying to look as though they weren't there and she knew at once that they were being watched.

She turned to Mac, trying to hide her laughter as Flack tried to casually look over the top of his newspaper t them, then ducked behind it so that Stella wouldn't see him.

"Mac, we have watchers." She whispered, pointing over her shoulder to the small group in the window.

He shock his head when he saw them. He should have known that they would try something like this, try to keep up surveillance on them. But he didn't mind, and it didn't matter. He was indebted to them really, for giving him the push towards Stella, for making his see the light as it where.

They tried not to stare when they saw Mac lean across the table and kiss Stella's hand, but when he reached right up and kissed her on the lips, Danny dropped the coffee mug he had been holding with a clatter, causing everyone to look around at them.

Flack Lindsey and Hawkes shrank back in their seats while Danny turned a bright red as Mac and Stella waved to him from their corner. He just waved back, though half-heartedly as people turned back to their meals.

They left the café half an hour later, leaving Mac and Stella to enjoy their little private breakfast.

Slowly, they wandered up the street to the crime labs, proud of what they had achieved. Their plan had worked perfectly. The final push to get Mac and Stella together had been finished, and he results looked promising.

3 months later Flack and Lindsey married. Danny was their best man, Stella their Maid of Honour. Danny had known all about Flack and Lindsey, right from the start, after all, he had set up a blind date for them as well, had even helped Flack look for an engagement ring for Lindsey.

A few weeks later, after the new Mr. And Mrs. Flack had arrived back from their honeymoon in England, an inter department email found it's way into 4 certain in boxes. It announced the engagement of Detective Mac Taylor to Detective Stella Bonasera, both of New York Police Department Crime Lab.

The 4 of them could only cheer in delight when they read it.


End file.
